EcoWaste Coalition is a public interest network of community, church, school, environmental and health groups pursuing sustainable solutions
to waste, climate change and chemical issues facing the Philippines and the world.

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31 October 2013

One way of reducing your “waste size” during
the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day is by shrinking your
consumption of bottled water to the minimum.

The EcoWaste Coalition made this suggestion following the launch of its yearly
campaign for a garbage-free Undas last Wednesday at the Manila North Cemetery.

The environmental network is actively promoting
zero waste and ecological lifestyle in order to conserve the earth’s finite
resources, reduce waste and toxic, and protect the public health, the
environment and the climate.

“An increased demand for bottled beverages, including water and soft drinks, is
expected as Filipinos troop to the cemeteries to pay homage to their departed ones
or go out of town to take advantage of the long weekend,” noted Aileen Lucero,
National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“Sadly, consumers are not informed that the unrestrained consumption
of bottled water is causing waste and pollution and is consequently warming our
planet,” she added.
Unknown to the consuming public, the production, transportation, consumption
and disposal of bottled water is linked to a number of climate, environmental
and health issues such as the formation and release of climate-warming greenhouse
gases during the whole life cycle of a bottled water.

“We can cut down on our consumption of bottled water by simply bringing clean
tap water on a reusable water container to the cemetery.There’s no need to spend
for bottled water unless your water supply at home is unsafe and unhealthy,” Lucero suggested.

However, Lucero was quick to caution the public against using reusable water bottle
containers with painted exteriors that may contain toxic lead, recalling that
the EcoWaste Coalition in May 2013 detected lead up to over 100,000 parts per
million in 14 out of 30 samples, mostly painted stainless steel canisters. The EcoWaste Coalition also advised consumers
who really need to buy bottled water to properly dispose of used polyethylene terephthalate(PET) containers in recycling
bins so as not to add to the cemetery litter and consequently to reduce harm
from improperly discarded bottles.

Information
from the US-based Food and Water Watch showed that the manufacture of PET
bottles for bottled water consumes lots of energy and contributes to global
warming.
A fact sheet published by the said group last July 2013 indicated that “the
manufacture, production and transportation of bottled water is 1,100 to 2,000
times as energy intensive as the treatment and distribution of tap water and in
2007, U.S. bottled water consumption had an energy-input equivalent of between
32 and 54 million barrels of oil. Over the course of a year, that amount of
energy could fuel anywhere between 1.2 and 2.1 million cars, or an average of
1.6 million cars annually.”

The fact sheet further said that “about 77 percent of PET plastic water bottles
are not recycled and end up in landfills, as litter or incinerated.”

The consumption of bottled water is on the rise in many countries, including
the Philippines.

In the Philippines, according to “The World’s Water 2006-2007 Data,” national
per capital consumption of bottled water rose from 16.3 liters per person in
1999 to 17.1 liters in 2004.

30 October 2013

Manila
City. In anticipation of the recurring garbage problems plaguing the
cemeteries during the nationwide observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’
Day, environmental advocates called on the public to opt for a garbage-free and
toxics-free Undas.

To press their plea, members of the EcoWaste Coalition presented a tableau
showing a “dead” person rising from a faux coffin holding a placard saying
“respect the dead” as the “Basura Monster” and his minions overwhelmed her with
trash.

They later paraded through the Manila North Cemetery with their black veils
embellished with garbage commonly left abandoned by visitors such as plastic
bags, cups and bottles, snack wrappers and Styrofoam, as well as
biodegradable discards.

The waste and pollution watchdog spearheaded this informative activity with
support from the Manila North Cemetery Administration led by Raffy Mendez, and
the city government of Manila led by Fernando Lugo, officer-in-charge of the
Department of Public Services-District III and Clemente San Gabriel,
officer-in-charge of the Division of Sanitation.

The pre-Undas event was held amid repeated reminders from national and city
authorities to observe waste prevention and reduction as Filipinos prepare to
pay their respects to their departed ones on November 1 and 2.

Tin Vergara, Zero Waste Campaigner of the EcoWaste Coalition said that the
faithful should express homage and appreciation for departed relatives and
friends in an eco-friendly and respectful way. “As we visit and commemorate our
deceased loved ones, we need to keep in mind that cemeteries are sacred place
and not graveyards for our unwanted trash.”

“We must celebrate this occasion with simplicity, spirituality and utter
respect for both the dead and the living by keeping the cemeteries waste-free,
toxics-free and trouble-free,” she added.

Meanwhile, Manila North Cemetery OIC Raffy Mendez used the occasion to make a
public appeal for a waste-free Undas.

“We look forward to reduced garbage generation this year. The cemetery
management and staff can only do so much and we surely need the people to help
and be involved. With the full cooperation of the visitors, vendors and other
considerate citizens, we can certainly make our cemeteries cleaner places to
visit for safer family and friendly gatherings,” said Mendez.

In 2012, the MMDA hauled in a total of 76
truckloads of garbage from 10 major cemeteries in just two days, including 20
truckloads from Manila North Cemetery, the worst among cemeteries in Metro
Manila.
According to the National Solid Waste Commission, Metro Manila produces 8,400 to
8,600 tons of garbage daily, or about one fourth of the national daily waste
generation of some 35,000 tons. The average daily waste generation in the
metropolis is 0.7 kilo per person.

For her part, Miss Philippines Eco-Tourism Bernadette Aguirre emphasized that
“our year-round campaigns highlight the importance of espousing a zero waste
lifestyle in everything that we do at all times.”

“The observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day should be no different.
In recent years, we experienced severe flooding brought about by strong
typhoons and heavy rains, and hopefully it instilled in us the significance and
urgency of taking care of our environment. If not, nature will continually find
ways to haunt us until we change our ways,” she stated.

As practical guides to those who will go to the cemeteries on Undas, the
EcoWaste Coalition offers the following eco-friendly “cemetery etiquette” or
“cemetiquette” tips:

1. Choose clean-burning, lead-free candles that do not yield black fumes or
soot. Set alight a limited number of candles to reduce heat and pollution. Do
not let candles’ plastic receptacles or holders to burn.

2. Offer local fresh flowers, not plastic ones, or consider bringing potted
plants and flowers instead. Simple, inexpensive flowers will do. Avoid wrapping
floral or plant offerings in plastic, which will sooner or later end up as
trash.

3. Bring your own water jug to avoid purchasing bottled water. Discarded
plastic bottles add up to the country’s garbage problem. Plastic bottles, which
are petrochemical products, also require lots of oil and chemicals to
manufacture. Please watch The Story of Bottled Water to find out why: http://storyofstuff.org/bottledwater/
4. Go for waste-free meals. Say yes to reusable carriers, containers, and
utensils such as lunchboxes and thermos, cloth napkins and silverwares. Say no
to throw-away bags, wraps, foil or Styrofoam, paper napkins, and forks and
spoons. Also, refrain from patronizing junk food and go for simple yet
nutritious home-prepared baon.

5. Buy less or only as much as you can consume in terms of food and beverage to
avoid spoilage or wastage. Bring bayong or other reusable bags to carry your
stuff and purchases, and refuse plastic bags and wrappers from vendors.

6. Cut your waste size by not creating trash in the first place such as by
purchasing products with the least amount of packaging and avoiding single-use
plastics.

7. Don’t litter, dump or burn trash in the cemetery. Do not throw cigarette
butts, candy wrappers, discarded packaging, fruit peels, etc. on the ground.
Remember to leave the resting place of your loved ones litter-free.

8. Put your discards into the recycling bins if available. Better still, place
them in your reusable bags and bring them home for sorting, reusing, recycling
or composting.

9. Relieve yourself only in the proper place where one should. Keep the urinal
or toilet bowl clean as a courtesy to the next user. Do not defecate or urinate
in public places.

10. Refrain from smoking in the cemetery. Be considerate to the children, the
elderly, pregnant women and others around you who may be saddled with
respiratory and heart ailments.

29 October 2013

Consumers beware:
a chemical lurking in some cosmetics that promise fair and pretty skin may
instead give you a terrifying look and send shivers up your spines.

The EcoWaste Coalition made the chilling warning after purchasing 12 skin
whitening creams in Divisoria, Quiapo and Sta. Cruz, Manila and Cubao, Quezon
City that later tested positive for mercury up to 45,100 parts per million, way
above the 1 ppm regulatory limit for mercury under the ASEAN Cosmetics
Directive.

“These mercury-laden products are truly scary in the real sense of the word,”
said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“Instead of the promised lighter and flawless skin, these products may in fact
discolor and scar the skin, cause rashes and weaken dermal resistance to
bacterial and fungal infections,” she said.

“Not only does it damage the skin, mercury harms the kidneys and the nervous
system as well, obstructing healthy brain development in fetuses and children,”
she added.“The mercury
ingredient in such products is a spooky secret that consumers, especially
women, should be wary about when buying skin whitening cosmetics. You
don’t want to pay to get poisoned,” she emphasized.

The symptoms of inorganic mercury poisoning, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency,
include skin rashes and dermatitis, mood swings, memory loss, mental
disturbances, and muscle weakness.
To alert consumers about mercury-containing cosmetics and the risks associated
with mercury exposure, the EcoWaste Coalition carried out the test buys and
analyzed the products using a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectrometer.

“We conducted the test buys ahead of the Halloween to call attention to the frightening
effects of mercury exposure through cosmetics, which are real and not just a
figment of imagination,” Lucero said.

The skin whitening products, purchased from Chinese drug stores for P50 to P180
per item, and their mercury content are as follows:

Erna, Gemli , Sanli and Jiaoli Huichunsu Specific Eliminating Freckle Cream
were among the 11 mercury-loaded skin whitening creams reported by the EcoWaste
Coalition to the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on August 18, 2013
and recommended for banning.

None of these imported products are listed in the FDA’s list of notified
cosmetics and may be deemed illegal
imports.

To avoid mercury exposure from such cosmetics, the EcoWaste Coalition reminded
consumers to scrutinize the product labels, reject products with incomplete and
incomprehensible information, seek registered mercury-free products and ask for
official receipts, which could come handy if you need to file a complaint.

Even better, be happy, grateful, proud and secure of our skin tone, the
EcoWaste Coalition said, stressing that “brown is beautiful.”

27 October 2013

Quezon City. On the eve of this year’s Barangay
Elections, an environmental group promoting Zero Waste pleaded with the
voting public to keep schools and other polling places garbage-free.

“We appeal to all voters to avoid littering as they cast their votes
tomorrow,” said Tin Vergara, Zero Waste Campaigner, EcoWaste Coalition.

“Please be environmentally-responsible, shun littering and commit to a
truly clean democracy that our nation can be proud of,” she urged voters.

One of the most common electoral and environmental offenses in
previous elections is the shameless and unlawful distribution of sample
ballots and other political propaganda materials during the Election
Day.

To avoid a repeat of such offense, the EcoWaste Coalition urged voters
to come to the polling precincts equipped with their own “kodiko” or
list of bets to vote for, and refuse sample ballots that are illegally
handed out to voters beyond the official campaign period.

In addition, the group appealed to local authorities and also to
vendors to provide sufficient bins for proper waste management as the
vicinity of polling places are often littered with discarded food
containers, snack and candy wrappers, plastic and paper bags, as well as
cigarette butts.

Littering is a clear violation of Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological
Solid Waste Management Act, which among others, prohibits throwing or
dumping of waste matters in public places such as streets, sidewalks,
parks and waterways. Violators upon conviction shall be fined between P300
to P1,000 or render community service from 1 to 15 days or both.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of the barrage of post-election garbage, the
EcoWaste Coalition appeals to all candidates and their supporters to
immediately remove and recycle their campaign materials after voting
day.

EcoWaste Coalition National Coordinator Aileen Lucero reminded all
barangay candidates, regardless of their polling performance, to “remove
your campaign posters and banners without delay and recycle those that can
still be safely used.”

“We ask the Commission on Elections to oblige all barangay candidates to
comply with their civic duty to conduct post-election clean-up, as both
winners and losers tend to forget to take down their political
advertisements,” Lucero added.

The group seeks the cooperation of the public in keeping all sorts of
political discards that the candidates utilized throughout their
campaign
out of dump sites and landfills, at the same time warning people against
recycling and burning campaign materials that may possibly contain
toxic
chemicals. The group reiterated that open burning and open dumping
violate
R.A. 9003 and pose serious health threats to workers and residents.

In particular, the EcoWaste Coalition cautioned the public against
recycling campaign materials made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) such as
tarpaulins for food packaging or for other uses involving young children
as their chemical ingredients such as cadmium, lead and phthalates may
leach and cause adverse health effects.

Furthermore, burning chlorinated campaign materials such as PVC tarpaulins
is dangerous as this will cause the release of hazardous by-products,
including dioxins, the most toxic of all man-made chemicals.

26 October 2013

The
EcoWaste Coalition, an environmental watchdog tracking harmful chemicals in
products and wastes, found half of the 100 toy samples it procured in Baclaran
positive for lead and other toxic metals.

The results were released today as a finale to the group’s observance of the
UN-backed International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action (October
20-26) to call attention to the lead hazard in some toys due to the use of lead
in paints as pigment or drier, or as an additive in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic
toys.

“50 out of the 100 assorted toy samples were found contaminated with one or
more toxicants that are not properly identified on the product labels to alert
consumers,” said Thony Dizon, Coordinator of the EcoWaste Coalition’s Project
Protect.

Traces of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury were found in
half of the samples.Lead, a potent
neurotoxin, was found in 46 samples above the US regulatory limit of 90 parts
per million (ppm) for lead in paint and surface coatings.

“Children aged six years and under are most vulnerable to lead and other toxins
because their brains and bodies are still developing and because of their
common hand-to-mouth behavior that may cause direct ingestion of lead in dust, soil and
toys,” Dizon pointed out.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “lead exposure harms children
at much lower doses, and the health effects are generally irreversible and can
have a lifelong impact.”

Evidence of reduced intelligence due to childhood lead exposure has convinced
WHO to list “lead-caused mental retardation” as a recognized disease.

“The other 50 samples were negative for toxic metals signifying that
manufacturers can make toys sans hazardous substances and still profit from
it.The presence of such substances in
toys that can harm children’s health is indefensible,” Dizon stated.

The toys were procured on October 18 and 19 by the EcoWaste Coalition’s
AlerToxic Patrol for P50 to P285 each, mostly from Baclaran discount stores in Parañaqueand
Pasay Cities, and subsequently screened for toxic metals using a portable X-Ray
Fluorescence spectrometer.

The EcoWaste Coalition initiated a monthly pre-Christmas toys sampling with the
advent of the “ber” months to raise the awareness of consumers and motivate
them to exercise their rights.Last
September, the group detected lead and other chemicals of concern in 94 out of
200 samples (47%) obtained from retailers in Divisoria, Manila.

With barely 60 days before Christmas, the EcoWaste Coalition has reiterated its
advice to consumers, particularly parents, to be vigilant against potentially
dangerous toys and other children’s products in the market.

“Be inquisitive and insist on your right to product information and
safety.Avoid toys that are not
compliant with the mandatory testing, registration and labelling
requirements.Rich or poor, everyone is
entitled to non-toxic products, nothing more, nothing less,” Dizon reiterated.

I would like to thank you for inviting the European Union this morning to
attend the launch of EcoWaste Coalition’s lead paint sampling report and press
conference.

This week marks the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.120 million people across the world are still
overexposed to lead.The majority of
them are in the developing world and children are the most severely
affected.Lead exposure in children
happens through contact with lead contaminated dust and soil in their
environment.It affects brain
development leading to lower IQ, mental retardation and kidney damage.These effects have a negative impact on
school performance and are non-reversible.600,000 new cases of children with intellectual disabilities due to lead
exposure occur every year according to the World Health Organization.

The report launched today is to our knowledge the first and most comprehensive
piece of evidence showing that the danger of lead exposure in the Philippines
exists.Lead concentrations found in
more than 60% of paint samples collected in the Philippines were worryingly high.Concentrations measured by our contractor – a
certified laboratory based in Italy – reached levels up to 200 times the level
authorized in many countries.Such
paints are widely available to the public.They affect us and they affect the most vulnerable of us, namely
children, pregnant women and workers.

Lead is easy to replace in the majority of cases.Alternative, less harmful chemicals
exists.Lead-free paints available on
the market are not more expensive.

The EU has taken steps in order to phase out the use of lead in paint in its
common market.In 1989, members of the
EU collectively banned the use of lead in paint after the adoption of a Council
Directive which states that lead compounds “may not be used as substances and
constituents of preparations intended for use as paints, except for the
restoration and maintenance of works of art and historic buildings”.This regulation
was later completed by other directives banning the use of lead compounds in
key consumption products, notably toys and cosmetics.

The Philippine government is aware of the issue and is taking steps to control
the use of lead in decorative paints.We
are encouraged by recent Congress and Senate Resolutions supporting the Lead
Poisoning Prevention Week as well as on-going discussions under the banner of
the Environment Management Bureau to come up with a Chemical Control Order
phasing out the use of lead in paint.Those among manufacturers having voluntarily phased out the use of lead
should also be commended.

The study launched today was funded by the European Union who provided a PHP 80
Million grant to implement the Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project in seven
countries (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka and
Thailand).Results so far have been very
encouraging with countries such as Sri Lanka having passed recently legislation
banning the use of lead in paint.

The Lead Paint Elimination Project forms part of the SWITCH Programme – an EU-funded
programme implemented in 16 countries across Asia.Seventy projects are on-going with the
objective to promote sustainable consumption and clean production
practices.Four SWITCH Projects with
total EU funding of PHP 400 Million are implemented in the Philippines.

Reducing exposure to lead in paints is a global public health priority.Childhood as well as occupational exposure to
lead carries huge health and economic costs.The Philippines’ objective to eliminate lead in paints and remove the
risks posed by such toxic products, especially on children, women of
child-bearing age and workers is laudable.I hope today’s press conference will serve to raise awareness on this
invisible threat and bring about the necessary changes to preserve our
environment and protect the health of our children.

Some paint
companies in the Philippines sell paints for household use containing unsafe
levels of lead, according to a new study of lead in decorative paints released
by EcoWaste Coalition today. The report was released in observance of the first
International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of Action (October 20-26) and
coincided with the country’s commemoration of the “Children’s Month” and the
“Consumer Welfare Month.”

Lead in a majority of the paints analyzed exceeded the 90 parts per million
(ppm) limit proposed under a draft Chemical Control Order for Lead and Lead
Compounds (CCO) prepared by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR).

Lead is a heavy metal known for its neurotoxicity that causes reduced IQs,
developmental delays, speech and language problems and other health concerns. A
recently-published New York University report about the economic impacts of
childhood lead exposure shows that low- and middle-income countries lose US
$977 billion annually due to lead-attributable IQ reduction and lifetime
economic productivity losses, with the economic cost estimated to reach over US
$15 billion in the Philippines, the second highest in Asia.[1]At a press conference, the EcoWaste Coalition
disclosed that 75 of the 122 household enamel paint samples (61 percent)
representing 34 brands purchased from retailers in Metro Manila, Cebu City and
Davao City and sent to a government-accredited private laboratory in Italy for
testing, exceeded 90 ppm, which is also the US regulatory threshold for lead in
paint and surface coatings.

Of these 75 household enamel paints that surpassed the proposed 90 ppm
threshold, 48 were found to have very high levels of lead greater than 10,000
ppm, including four products with extremely high lead content above 100,000
ppm. The average lead concentration of the sampled household enamel paints is
18,500 ppm, 206 times greater than the proposed regulatory standard limit of 90
ppm.

“Our sampling results show that paints in the Philippines contain
brain-damaging lead and provide yet another strong basis for the DENR to
approve and enforce the CCO at once. Such action will complement and even
hasten the ongoing initiatives by the paint industry and the civil society to
push for non-lead paint production, certification and labelling,” said Jeiel
Guarino, Policy and Communications Officer, EcoWaste Coalition’s Lead Paint
Elimination Project.

Once the CCO is approved by DENR Secretary Ramon J.P. Paje, it will set a
mandatory total lead limit of 90 ppm for all paints, and a phase out period of
three years for architectural, decorative and household paints, and six years
for industrial paints, including automotive and aviation paints.

The study was funded by the European Union who provided a PHP 80 Million grant
to support the Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project. The project is implemented
in seven countries (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka
and Thailand). EcoWaste Coalition implements the project in the Philippines.
"Reducing exposure to lead in paints is a global public health priority.
Childhood as well as occupational exposure to lead carries huge health and
economic costs. The European Union supports the goal of the Philippine
Government to eliminate lead paints and remove the risks posed by such toxic
products, especially on children, women of child-bearing age and workers."
stated H.E Guy Ledoux, Ambassador of the European Union to the Philippines.

“As health
experts have identified no safe blood lead level in children, the high
percentage of samples with lead surpassing the proposed 90 ppm limit at 61
percent is undeniably disturbing,” said Moresa Tolibas, Technical Officer,
EcoWaste Coalition’s Lead Paint Elimination Project.

“On the other hand, the fact that 38 percent of the paint samples, mostly
manufactured by Philippine companies, had lead content below 90 ppm indicates
that producing paints with no or low levels of lead is economically viable,
technically feasible and practically achievable,” she added.

Children are not generally exposed to lead from paint while the paint is still
in the can or even when the paint is being newly applied to a previously
unpainted or uncoated surface. Rather, the lead exposure generally occurs after
the lead paint has already dried on the wall or on the article that has been
painted, the EcoWaste Coalition said. Painted surfaces deteriorate with time or
when disturbed, and lead from the paint then contaminates household dust and
soils surrounding the home. Children can then ingest lead from dusts and soils
during customary hand-to-mouth behavior, after which neurological damage
occurs, the group explained.

-END-

Additional
Information for the Media:

1. The
EcoWaste Coalition purchased 122 household paint samples on November 2012 until
January 2013 from local retailers in Metro Manila, Cebu City and Davao City,
which were subsequently sent via air freight to Certottica laboratory in
Italy. Certottica is accredited by ACCREDIA – the Italian Accreditation
System, which is the Italian National Accreditation Body appointed by the
State. This laboratory participates in the Environmental Lead Proficiency
Analytical Testing (ELPAT) program operated by the American Industrial Hygiene
Association under a program established by the US Environmental Protection
Agency.

3. This
is the third time that the EcoWaste Coalition had paint samples analyzed for
lead. In 2010, 24 of the 35 household enamel paints (69 percent) that the group
sent to the University of Cincinnati in Ohio, USA, contained lead
concentrations higher than 90 ppm. In 2008, 10 of the 25 enamel paint samples
(40 percent) that were analyzed in a government-accredited laboratory in New
Delhi, India, registered lead content above 90 ppm.

4. IPEN’s
Asian Lead Paint Elimination Project is working to eliminate lead in paint
worldwide and raise widespread awareness among business entrepreneurs and
consumers about the adverse human health impacts of lead-based decorative
paints, particularly on the health of children under six years old. The seven
Asian countries participating in the project include Bangladesh, India,
Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The project includes
periodical testing of lead in paints; information and technical support to
small and medium paint manufacturers, distributors and retailers to help them
shift from lead-based to no-added lead paint formulations; third party
certification and labelling that includes information on lead; consultation
with key government institutions to enact a globally-accepted standard for lead
in paints; preparation and dissemination of information, education and
communication (IEC) materials, as well as awareness-raising activities about
lead paint and its subsequent effects on children, public health, and the environment.

lPENis an
international NGO network with 700 participating organizations working in 116
countries that promotes safe chemical policies and practices aimed at
protecting human health and environment.

EcoWaste Coalition is a
national network of more than 150 public interest groups working on waste,
climate, chemical, social justice and development issues. It envisages a zero
waste and toxics-free Philippines and strives to attain such a vision by fostering
and supporting activism around priority concerns in line with the people’s
constitutional rights to health and to a balanced and healthful ecology.

About Me

is a public interest network of community, church, school, environmental and health groups pursuing sustainable solutions to waste, climate change and chemical issues facing the Philippines and the world.